Description
Christmas Morning Star Bread is a festive, star-shaped sweet bread filled with cinnamon sugar, orange zest, and topped with a rich pecan caramel sauce. Perfect for holiday breakfasts or brunch, this show-stopping recipe brings the warmth and comfort of Christmas morning to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) butter, browned and cooled
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- Filling:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pecan Caramel Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Whisk warm water and active dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 20 minutes until foamy.
- Heat whole milk with cinnamon sticks over low heat for 10 minutes, then strain and discard sticks.
- Add warm milk, sugar, brown butter, and eggs to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.
- Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest.
- Add 3 3/4 cups flour and salt. Mix using a dough hook until dough forms and pulls away from sides; add more flour as needed.
- Knead on a floured surface for 2 minutes, then place dough in a floured bowl, cover, and rise for 1 hour.
- To make the filling, combine softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, zest, and salt until smooth.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.
- Layer the dough circles on a parchment-lined sheet, spreading filling between each layer, ending with plain dough on top.
- Mark a small circle in the center with a glass. Cut surrounding dough into 16 equal strips.
- Take two strips at a time, twist them outwards twice, and press ends together. Repeat to form 8 points of the star.
- Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Brush bread with egg wash and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered, then cover with foil and bake another 10 minutes.
- For the pecan caramel sauce: melt butter with brown sugar, cream, cinnamon stick, and vanilla. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add pecans and salt, simmer 5 more minutes. Serve warm.
- Dust baked bread with powdered sugar and serve warm with caramel sauce on the side.
Notes
- Make ahead by shaping the bread the night before and refrigerating. Bring to room temperature before baking.
- Use a glass to mark the center of the dough for evenly shaped star twists.
- Reheat caramel sauce gently with a splash of cream if it becomes too thick.
- Fully baked bread can be frozen and reheated before serving.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 240mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 80mg